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the same upscale stor es you would find in N ew York or Paris. Do not expect to find a
city full of indigenous textiles and crafts, as you would elsewhere in Latin America; Her-
mès, Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Ralph Lauren are more on the mark in wealthy districts
such as Recoleta or Palermo. Boutiques of local designers, especially in P alermo, are an
excellent and unique choice, as well as the numerous leather goods stores throughout the
city which offer some of the finest and most inter esting pr oducts of this type in the
world. Look for the Mapas de Buenos Aires shopping map series (www.mapasbsas.com)
concentrating on different neighborhoods and shopping themes, as w ell as the GO Pal-
ermo (www.gopalermo.com.ar) shopping booklet at your hotel and tourism kiosks. The
Calle Florida Shopping Association also puts out a shopping booklet (www.calleflorida
street.com). DeDios has an ex cellent laminated shopping map if y ou're likely to abuse
that and y our cr edit car ds, av ailable at B uenos Air es bookstor es and online at www .
dediosonline.com and www.amazon.com.
STORE HOURS & SHIPPING
Most stores are open weekdays from 9am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am until midnight,
with some still closing for a few hours in the afternoon. You might find some shops open
Sunday along Avenida Santa Fe, but few will be open on Calle Florida. Shopping centers
are open daily fr om 10am to 10pm. S ome stores not catering to tourists will close after
Christmas and in early January for their summer holidays.
Certain art and antiques dealers will crate and ship bulky objects for an additional fee;
others will tell you it's no problem to take that new sculpture directly on the plane. If you
don't want to take any chances, contact UPS ( & 800/222-2877 ) or FedEx ( & 810/333-
3339 ). Various stores participate in a tax-refund program for purchases over 70 pesos. In
such a case, ask for a special r eceipt, which can entitle you to a refund of the hefty 21%
tax (IVA) when you leave the country.

GREAT SHOPPING AREAS
MICROCENTRO Calle Florida, the pedestrian walking str eet in the M icroCentro, is
home to wall-to-wall shops from Plaza San Martín past Avenida Corrientes. The Galerías
Pacífico mall is on Calle Florida 750 and Avenida Córdoba ( & 11/4319-5100 ), with a
magnificent dome and stunning fr escoes painted b y local ar tists. Ov er 180 shops ar e
open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and S unday from noon to 9pm,
with tango and folk-dancing sho ws held on Thursday at 8pm in the food cour t, which
is great for a shopping br eak no matter the time of the day . As you approach Plaza San
Martín from Calle Florida, you find a number of well-regarded shoe stores, jewelers, and
shops selling leather goods.
RECOLETA Avenida Alvear is an elegant, Parisian-like strip of European boutiques and
cafes. Start your walk fr om Plaza Francia across from Recoleta Cemetery and continue
past the Alvear Palace Hotel to the French Embassy at Cerrito or Nueve de Julio for one
exclusive shop after another, many in French-style mansions. Avenida Quintana provides
a similar atmosphere. Patio Bullrich, Av. del Libertador 750 ( & 11/4814-7400 ), is one
of the city's best malls. Its 69 elegant shops are open daily 10am to 9pm.
AVENIDA SANTA FE Popular with local shoppers, A venida Santa Fe, in the B arrio
Norte district, up through Palermo offers a wide selection of clothing stores at down-to-
earth prices. You will also find bookstores, cafes, ice-cream shops, and cinemas. The Alto
Palermo Shopping Center, Av. Santa Fe 3253 ( & 11/5777-8000 ), is another excellent
shopping center, with 155 stores open daily from 10am to 10pm.

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